Olympian still going strong

[DRH]

Renown's former Dublin Bus Olympian AFZ 2381 has been allocated to the 297 for the past few days.

Old West Station, Tunbridge Wells.  2 June 2016.

DRH

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[Nik Anthony]

What are the scheduled DD workings on route 297? I understand that they are confined to SDO, though I heard that they are different on Wednesday from the rest of the week due to an earlier local school finishing time.

Thanks

Nik

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[DRH]

I don't know for certain but there is usually a d/d working into Tunbridge Wells (laying over at Old West Station) by about 09:30; departing about midday. Last week was half-term in both Kent and East Sussex so the Olympian may have been a temporary allocation. Schools are back from 6 June.

Nu Venture's Olympian is regularly on the 282 M-F and sometimes on the Saturdays 285 - like today (4th).

DRH

[Phil Cattermole]

Nick

I only know about Wednesday, and yes, there is a DD working on 297 which passes through Tenterden around 1430.    It's a good time to stop there as a Hams  DD passes, along with Stagecoach 292, several Rye Community Transport minibuses, and a full size Ashford Minibuses coach.

To add to the mix, both of the Poynters Tridents can often be seen in the coach park in Station Road late morning. 

I find the best spot for photography is along the main road, towards West Cross, but watch out for the shadows from the trees on a sunny day.

Regards
Phil

On 4 June 2016, at 05:40, Nik Anthony <nik2...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Neil Gow]

The double-deck working includes the 1410 and 1750 departures from TW and the 1547SDO from Tenterden on schooldays. On 20th June (a regular schoolday) the ex Reading Optare Spectra was on it, and I've seen Tridents on it in the past when they had them, so I think the Olympian was a lucky find. I posted a picture of the Spectra from that day.

The Wednesday journey is an extra journey because there isn't otherwise a conveniently timed departure when the school packs up at an earlier time on Wednesdays. As such it requires an extra bus and is most likely to have the Olympian on. In fact there was an earlier picture and discussion about this journey on here. You'll note that it's only guaranteed to run as far as Goudhurst and doesn't pick up after that point, so you may not even see it in Tunbridge Wells. I wonder how happily the driver would take to having to go all the way to TW because two passengers with a Discovery ticket board in Tenterden and want to go there? Maybe offer to get out at Pembury if he lets us take a picture before he drives off.

Neil.

[Group_owner]

The whole of the timetable is geared around school requirements at Homewood School, Tenterden rather than anything at the Tunbridge Wells end.

Subject to any vehicle changeovers during the day, there is an all-day working that is in the right place both morning and afternoon, featuring the departures from Tunbridge Wells at 0702, 1045, 1410 and 1750 and from Tenterden (The Vine) at 0900, 1230 and 1554. 

It isn't immediately obvious from the timetable that the physical terminus at the eastern end of the route is actually a loop at Shrubcote off the Appledore Road.  On schooldays the morning journey is scheduled to serve Homewood School (on a separate spur towards St Michaels, north of Tenterden town centre) at 0840 then goes on to Shrubcote, and returns from the latter at 0852 to Tenterden (The Vine) to take up the 0900 for Tunbridge Wells.

In the afternoon, however, the 1410 from Tunbridge Wells runs to Homewood School at 1547 then returns direct to The Vine without serving the Shrubcote leg.

On schoolday Wednesdays, according to Traveline the extra trip starts at Homewood at 1425 ((this doesn't appear on Renown's own timetable on the link below, which took effect in 2014) then departs from The Vine at 1432 to Tunbridge Wells, and as Neil explains this runs to set down only after Goudhurst.

https://www.renowngroup.co.uk/_buses/tt_297_new.php

The 297's predecessor in M&D days, the 97, was always an intriguing route due to spur workings to and from Hawkhurst (at one time it extended to East Grinstead to the west and Ashford to the east, but through journeys did not serve the Cranbrook-Hawkhurst section which was there essentially for operational reasons) and the use for many years of lowbridge buses due to a height restricted bridge at Horsmonden (since demolished).

It seems the 297 is managing to keep us all fascinated many years later!

Derek J

[DRH]

Today, Dart on layover from morning followed by Trident on 10:45 departure from Tunbridge Wells.

DRH